By: Quartny RoweBultinck

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X-Ray Binaries and YOU!

• ByQuartny Rowe-Bultinck
• Mentor Dr. Ronald Kaitchuck
• Funded by Ball State Honors College

2
The Project

• GOAL To create a planetarium show that appeals
  to and can be understood by the general public

TOPIC Star formation and binary stars,
specifically x-ray binaries
3
The Hook

• The show will start off with a type I supernova
  explosion

There will a brief explanation about the end of a
stars life.
This should spark interest in the audience to go
into a deeper explanation.
4
The Beginning

• To show how some stars form in binary pairs and
  eventually end their lives, star formation must
  be explained

• Collapses within interstellar medium trigger
  materials coming together.
• Some stars form close enough to have a
  gravitational pull with each other, whether it is
  in groups of two or more.

5
Clusters

• Star clusters are the one of the most important
  sources in understanding stars

From these groups of stars, astronomers obtain
valuable information about the formation, life
and death of stars.
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The End of a Star

• When a star runs out of its energy supply, it
  expands into a red giant

The star will lose its outer layers and increase
in temperature, causing a planetary nebula
In time, only the core will be left. This is
what is known as a white dwarf star.
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Binaries

• In Binaries, the more massive star will age
  faster and could eventually become a white dwarf.
  

This degenerate star makes the binary what is
known as an x-ray binary system.
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White Dwarfs in Binary Systems

• The white dwarf is the remaining core of the
  original star and is extremely dense

In a binary system, this white dwarf draws mass
from its companion star, forming an accretion
disk around the white dwarf
When the white dwarf exceeds the Chandrasekhar
limit, there will be a supernova explosion.
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How Binaries are Determined

• Scientists use spectroscopy and CCD detectors to
  discover binary systems

This technology can plot velocity vs. time to
show the orbit of the binary system
This is the best way to measure the mass of
stars.
10
Problems

• Keeping it simple

Creative strain
Post-production
Time constraints
11
As of Today

• Topic picked and outline for show completed
• Script- still in progress
• Some animation chosen for show

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What is Left

• Narration and soundtrack
• Post production-putting all the pieces together!